Yes, that’s right, last week Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced the Government was raising Australia’s ‘terror alert’ status to ‘high’. While technically this means a terrorist attack on Australian soil is now regarded as “likely”, the PM was quick to clarify that “this does not mean that a terror attack is imminent. We have no […]

Sitting on the train, surrounded by other poor people, sans cars, it’s hard not to wonder whether the Abbott Government is becoming increasingly out of touch with its constituents. Sure, there are a lot of discrepancies on public transport – for example, on the not-so-rough Sandringham line, taking in Melbourne’s bayside suburbs, I’m guessing some […]

Normally when the Federal Budget comes out we punters get rather amused at the excitement we see in the media. We giggle at seeing Kochie from Sunrise get his jollies about being in lock up, but unless there is some blatantly nasty stuff in the budget that will hit our hip pockets, we really don’t […]

By Margo Kingston @margokingston1 27th February 2014 Here is the transcript and audio of this evening’s SBS World Radio item by Greg Dyett @GregDyett on the Manus Island detention centre review and whether it will do the job. I’m thrilled there are a few journalists who understand how important this matter is for the victims […]

By Wayne Jansson @jansant February 8, 2014 Ever since John Howard’s Tampa affair back in 2001, refugees arriving by boat have been at the centre of political debate in Australia. A campaign to demonise and dehumanise refugees has been in full swing ever since. Its been so successful the Abbott government has even seen the value […]

By Stewart Hase @stewarthase 15 January 2014 The Conservative Revolution was worth reading for two main reasons. The first is that it gives a very clear view into the mind of the extreme Christian conservative. The reader gets to see the thinking, the ideology that drives the political agenda of people like Cory Bernardi. Thus, it […]

By Jack Sumner September 6, 2013 Eastwood’s Rowe Street Plaza is always busy, lively and a pleasant place to shop or just sit and chill. As a band played, the Bennelong candidates’ support teams were out in force last weekend to win votes with a leaflet, a smile and a balloon. Regardless of who prevails […]

By Michelle Primmer September 1, 2013 I played a game of phone tag with the Liberal Party’s Sarah Henderson and her office trying to tee up a time to meet. I was keen to get an in person interview, but her schedule had been chock-a-block. Now with the election just a week away, I was […]

By Margo Kingston, 24 August, 2013 Wondering who will be in the Abbott Government’s club? It took a while, but back in 2003 Webdiarists and I worked out who Howard invited to his barbecue with George Bush. Believe it or not the guest list was a secret, and there’ll be many more of those, folks. Paul Ramsey of […]

By Jack Sumner 15 August 2013 On August 13, Greens candidate Lindsay Peters handed out leaflets at Epping Station before putting in a full day’s work at the software company he co-founded in 1996. In his lounge room that evening, he spoke to me about his commitment to the Greens and the Bennelong campaign. Lindsay said […]